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Carla Saavedra, web product analyst for Samsung Mobile support, recently tweeted information about a software update Samsung is hard at work on to fix the GPS problems that plague the Galaxy S line of Android smartphones. According to Saavedra, the update should be available in September.
The Samsung Vibrant and Samsung Captivate seem to be the two handsets affected the most by poor GPS functionality, though there is a good chance the unreleased Epic 4G and Fascinate Galaxy S phones could suffer from the issues as well. A manual fix is available for those who want to take a crack at it, but for the rest it looks like you might have to wait just a bit longer. No word on if this GPS update will be in conjunction with a Froyo release or something entirely separate.
[via EverythingAndroid]
I happened to be speaking with T-Mobile about the GPS problem this morning, and the lvl3 tech I was speaking with implied that the GPS fix was going to be bundled with the the FroYo update. But he didn’t have a timeframe. Of course the rep also was telling me the problem was with the Android OS itself and not something related to hardware or Samsungs implementation of the GPS software, since I know all sorts of other phones with Eclair that don’t have GPS problems.
A software fix? From Samsung? It’s unbelievable!
And you were all worried about Samsung not backing their new devices…
Hmm September fix? Anyone besides me think this will be in the Froyo package? NICE!!!
Awesome!!! My Sammy needs to know where its at right?!?!
woot , about time XD
I want to consider a galaxy s but first they have to update to froyo and fix this problem. “Show me, don’t tell me.”
Until recently I worked in the wireless industry for over 10 years, from sales rep, to store manager, to working at corporate, and even worked in call centers as supervisor and with technical care, and for three of the national carriers. Rarely, does anyone truly have any information about what the manufacturers are doing. There is a lot of rumors and heresay, so be careful with banking on what they say, particularly about timeframes. They probably get as much information as anyone from online blogs such as this.
What’s with Samsung and their GPS? I have a Samsung Saga (for now until my contract is up with Verizon then it’s Android baby!) and the GPS sucks on it too!
This makes me look forward to my pending Vibrant purchase all the more. Though so far a sleeper hit, I think the Galaxy S may be the premier Android handset for a long time to come. (It’s benchmarks are killer now, wait till Froyo hits!)
GPS fix will take another month and I’m supposed to be thrilled? They’ll be out just in time for Gingerbread.
In Contrast my HTC EVO has had 4 updates already including 1 that was for users who jumped the gun and manually updated their units?
This is why I wont buy Samsung.
Problem with Android? Why does the HTC Desire GPS blow the Galaxy S away?
Sadly although all Galaxy S variants appear to have problems, they appear to have the same problems. But I believe they have the same core issue in the background which I think is more of a bug with the Broadcom driver.
I expected this to be rolled into the Froyo update, so figured it would take a couple months. My GPS works ok for now for what I use it for (car Nav), so its fine.
@G11
Preach on!
Bit of a moment of truth for Samsung to prove it’s serious about Android. We’ll see how fast they respond.
i don’t have any doubts that it’ll be released in september… probably early september too. samsung has put alot more time, effort and money into the galaxy s lineup than any other phone they’ve released, so i’m sure they’ll take care of their pride and joy. for the month i’ve had the phone, i have to say the weak gps is the only real issue i have with it. as for bundling it with froyo… that would be awesome. as for those talking about the EVO 4G having 4 updates already, tell me what those updates were for. from what i’ve seen so far, there has been no other reason for an update besides the gps and froyo. and samsung is probably making sure the update works perfectly. they don’t want a repeat of the updates they had for the behold2. with the update on gps and froyo, i don’t see anyother reason to release an update, unless it’s to the new gingerbread when that’s released.
@Bob, thank you for your in-depth insight. Although, not 100% true.
My Galaxy s rocks,
quadrant score of 2250 and no gps probs,
Firmware JM5
already tried beta froyo but will wait a bit longer, as always try modaco or XDA.
The four updates were a) a feature upgrade on the same day as the release, b) a stability upgrade + radio + WiMAX update (a radio set missing on the Galaxies until the Epic 4G variant is released) and c) the Froyo series that was really 3 possible updates in 2 mutually exclusive sets: 1) the straight Froyo update for those that walked the company line or 2) a leaked Froyo pre-release + a mini-update that aligned those with the leaked copy with the official Froyo (so even though people using the snuck Froyo did so at risk, HTC did not leave them out to dry for taking that risk).
The EVO Froyo update included the H.264 codec for 480p video recording. That’s no small thing – I’m hoping that all Android superphones will get that update, and that it be extended to 720p where applicable.
As for the idea that constant updates portends something bad – srsly? That’s like saying the song has too many notes. The device isn’t unstable and better to have updates than something stale.
Most of your Android experience comes from the apps – and look at how often those update. I’ve lost count. How ’bout that babbling Facebook 1.3 that caused no end of grief? How ’bout that Gmail update that kept second accounts from syncing on time? How ’bout that Android 2.2 audio codec package update that excluded AAC+ and has caused disgust with Pandora users?
Updates are typically a good thing, and the more the merrier in my opinion – better that than living with defects brought about overly competitive releases.
My wife’s waiting for the Epic 4G (another Galaxy class phone) to come out, but after our less than wonderful experiences with the Moment, this foot-dragging is causing her to re-think things.
We’ve owned a few Samsung feature flip-phones – they were rock solid, rugged, stylish, dead-nuts stable and everything always worked.
Samsung has little excuse for not getting this tech right – the Galaxy is a technological marvel and Samsung used to know what it was doing when it came to solid reliability and everything just working.
As for Gingerbread – uh – ok. What I’ve read says that Gingerbread is about the user interface, that the underlying OS is going to remain essentially the same. That UI is going to fly in the face of what US carriers and the handset makers like to slather on top of Android as differentiators – user apps that masquerade as system apps and can only be removed with root privileges, and user interfaces at odds with Gingerbread rumors, Sense, TouchWiz, MotoBlur/NinjaBlur (and check your local listings) – so the idea that Gingerbread is a done deal in your future without root: not something I’d take to the bank just yet.
Just FYI, the “manual fix” doesn’t necessarily work. Some people report success. In my case it improved the number of satellites that were visible, but it still won’t lock.
There are also compass issues. I hope they’re related but I suspect they are not. My compass takes between 5 to 10 minutes to register a 90 degree change in orientation.
And amazingly, there are still people running around claiming some of us are just being “picky” or blowing it out of proportion…
I’ve been eying this phone for over a month now and actually I’d be more interested in an official fix for the stall/lag problem, before I buy the phone.
samsung = weak..the moment is the worst phone ever and no fixes ever came..the galaxy s is fancier but sammy needs to learn from htc about gps
Samsung is gradually changing the way it does business in smartphone market. They did not support updates at first because they thought smartphones are just like features phones. It is good to see that Samsung has changed the way it thinks.I will be awaiting both android 2.2 and GPS updates.
Ignore behold 2 screwers! Galaxy S is the best android phone!
I am surprised that AT&T is going to allow this fix on their network considering how much AT&T hates customers.
http://gizmodo.com/5613501/sprint-epic-4g-review-the-best-4g-phone
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Any comment on the idea that you cannot download apps from the Market and use them reliably?
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The whole so-called review is a total stinker but seriously – app support lacking?
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Don’t even start me on the fanboy-driven opinion that the iPhone-like interface is somehow superior.
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I’m really needing this beast to be what’s expected or there’s a potential doghouse in my future – or an Evo in my wife’s.
Software fix?! Come on. Its google. The google webpage wouldnt even get a fix on your location. Even your home computer asks “can we get information about your location?” Its googles fault now? They have mice with built in GPS for like $40 bucks, LMAO
Great stuff by samsung, keep them coming sammy!!..
Great stuff by samsung, keep them coming sammy!!..